This invention relates generally to vehicle covers and more specifically to vehicle covers for protecting a vehicle from hail and other falling objects.
Hail is a precipitation which falls in the form of small balls or lumps consisting of ice and compact snow. Although it is generally small, hail has been reported to be as large as softballs. Almost half of the continental United states, from the rocky mountains to the east coast, is affected by hail.
Hail is very destructive when it is large and falls at a high rate of speed. In 1991, Colorado insurance companies paid a total of $1 billion for hail damage, a great deal of it attributable to automobile damage.
Protective car covers are well known in the art. However, few of the known protective car covers are capable of adequately protecting a vehicle from falling hail. Most car covers are designed to protect a vehicle from the sun, rain, snow, ice or the like. Some of these car covers do provide minimal protection from hail, but they either do not provide adequate protect from severe hail or are deficient in some other regard. Examples of patented protective covers are:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,933, entitled "Car Cover" issued to Gillem on Jul. 9, 1991 shows a car cover held tautby straps. This cover is not designed to protect a vehicle from hail. It only protects the front and rear windows from hail. The top of the car, the hood, and the trunk all have little or no protection from hail.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,993 entitled "Accordion Pleated Vehicle Cover" issued to Taboda on Aug. 28, 1990 shows a material folded like an accordion which extends over the top of a vehicle. This cover does not provide adequate protection from large hail that hits on the bottom of a crease. It is also large, unwieldy, and may not fit into a car's trunk.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,216 entitled "Sun and Snow Vehicle Cover" issued to McKee on Sep. 19, 1989 shows a car cover with raised portions spaced to prevent the rest of the cover from collapsing. Although this cover provides some protection from small hail, it is not designed to protect from hail and is therefore unlikely to adequately protect a vehicle from severe hail.
A car cover has been designed and manufactured by Jim Actor to specifically protect a vehicle from hail. This was reported by Associated Press on or about Jul. 23, 1992. This car cover is made of polymer plastic and UV-deflecting aluminum foil and weights 7 to 10 pounds. It attaches with several straps and forms a taut trampoline over a vehicle. It appears that this cover lays directly on the roof of the vehicle. This cover, however, must be custom made, is expensive, and it is unknown whether it provides adequate protection from severe hail.
Clearly, there exits a need for an improved vehicle cover for protecting vehicles from severe hail that is effective, easy to use, collapsible, foldable, fits in the trunk of a vehicle, and is adjustable to fit different vehicles.